Toilet-article holder



(ModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W H MILES, Jr TOILET ARTICLE HOLDER. No. 248,489. PatentedjOot. 18,-1881.

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2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(Model) W. H. MILES, Jr. TOILET ARTICLE HOLDER.

No. 248,489. Patented 0011;. 18,1881.

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' the front of the holder.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. MILES, JR., OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

TOILET-ARTICLE HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming .part of Letters Patent No. 248,489, dated October 18, 1881.

Application filed May 17, 1881. (Model) To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. MILES, Jr., ofBrooklyn, county ofKings, and State of New York, haveinven ted certain new and useful Improvements in Toilet-Article Holders, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, and to theletters of reference marked thereon.

My invention has relation to that class of devices intended for holding brushes of the various kinds, especially such as hair-brushes, whisk-brooms, and the like, and other toilet articles.

Among the objects of my invention aze the production of a neat, simple, and effective holder which will accommodate brushes of various sizes, hold them securely in place against accidental displacement, permit them to be easily withdrawn when required for use, obviate damage to the brush by friction against the sides of its back, and keep the brush always free from the accumulation of hair, 860.

To accomplish all of this the improvements involve certain novel and useful arrangements or combinations of parts, peculiarities of construction, and details of manufacture, all of which will be herein first fully described, and then pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a brush-holder constructed and arranged in accordance with my invention, the position of the brush therein being indicated by dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a sectional view and elevation of a fragment of one side of the holder, indicating the application of a tuft of bristles for holding the brush, instead of the narrow metallic springs shown in Fig. l; and Fig. 3 is a similar view, showing two tufts of bristles applied to the side walls of the holder. Fig. at is a vertical section on a plane passing through the brush-holding springs. Fig. 5 is a vertical section on a plane perpendicular to Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation, showing a modified means of applying the bristle-tufts to the interior of the side walls of the holder. Fig. 7 is a perspective view, showing modified forms of the cleaners. Figs. 8, 9, and 10 are vertical sections, show ing forms of projections upon which the bristles of the brush may be made to bear. Fig. 11 is a horizontal section through the improved holder; and Fig. 12, a plan view of the back, the walls being detached, showing one means of applying a comb-pocket.

Like letters of reference, wherever they occur, indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

A is the back or foundation of the holder, made of any desired material, and of size and form to suit the requirements of the construction and the taste of the manufacturer. It is herein shown somewhat larger than the box which conceals the brush as having beveled edges, being made of wood and covered with cloth. All this is a matter of ornamentation and may be changed at will.

The side walls, B B, and the front 0 are mounted upon the base A, and these together constitute the walls of the holder, the top and bottom being left open for the insertion and removal of the brush.

lVhisk-broom holders, as heretofore constructed, are either made to fitone size of broom, or, if made adjustable to accommodate varying sizes, the adjustable parts are so constructed and arranged as that they bear against the projectin g edges or sides of the back of the brush, and by frequent insertions and removals the brush back becomes defaced and damaged. To avoid all this, to simplify and cheapen the construction, and adapt the device for use in connection with any ordinary-size brush, I provide the interior of the holder with some form of narrow springs which will bear against the sides of the brush proper, leaving the edges of the hack free and keeping these edges clear of the side walls. First, the holder or receptacle should be made deep enough and broad enough to freely admit the brush of the largest size intended to be accommodated.

The holding-springs D D are shown as made of flat metal but manifestly they may be replaced by wires suitably bent. They are securel y fastened to the interior of the side walls at one end and bent inwardly toward each other, so as to press against the bristles of the smallar-sized brushes; and they are so located on the side walls as to "come in contact only with the bristles, escaping the back of the brush entirely, but holding it by means of its bristles away from the side walls. These metallic springs l) D may be replaced by tufts of bristies, as D D,projecting inwardly from the side walls, substantially as indicated. These afford all the desired elasticity and accomplish all the purposes of the other forms. The number oftufts employed for springs maybe varied at pleasure, two beingindicated upon one side at Fig. 3, and these one above the other. The tufts may be secured in suitable perforations 'made in the side walls, or, ifit be desired to preserve these walls intact, then separate blocks, as d, Fig. 6, maybe made to hold the tufts, the blocks being afterward secured in proper place by glue or otherwise. The bristle-springs will preserve their elasticity quite as well as the metal, and for some forms of brushes they are preferable, inasmuch as they are less liable to wear upon the brush.

The same construction and arrangement is applicable for whisk-broom holders, as wtll as for brushes in the shape of ordinary hairbrushes. The brush is inserted at the opening left in the top of the receptable, the handle projecting down through the lower opening. When it is required for use it is withdrawn by means of the handle.

Within the receptacle I locate a row of teeth or cleaners, as at E, and these are so arranged as that whenever the brush is withdrawn itis drawn across the cleaners which catch and hold the accumulated hair, &c., thus preserving the brush clear for use at any time. The teeth may be made of sheet-metalor other material, serrated and upturned, substantially as indicated in Figs. 1, 4, and 5, or of a series of pro- 40 jecting pins, as E, or of bristle-tufts, as E in Fig. 7, or of both these combined. The cleaners, being located in the path of the brush, and at or near the lower mouth of the receptacle, will also operate as holding-projections for tnaintainingthe brush in its place with or without the side springs, and any other suitable form of holding projection will answer the same purpose, it properly located. In Fig. 8 such a projection is shown in the form of a trough, E, which will hold accumulations from the brush. In Fig. 9 the projection E is made curved at top and bottom, and in Fig. 10 it is inclined gradually. Either of these forms, and many others which might readily be devised, will answer the required purposes. The bristles ofthe brush, being elastic, may be easily drawn past the holding-projection. The cleaners are intended to be secured at the back of the receptacle in any substantial manner, as by use of the supporting-piece F, and they are preferably located pretty well down toward the lower end of the holder, in such position as to be concealed from view and yet easily accessible for cleaning 011' and removing the accumulations.

For the cleaners and for the holding-springs whalebone or other elastic material may beetnployed as well as the bristles above specified.

The side walls front and back of the holder may be made of any suitable material. For the higher class of goods I contemplate the use of sheet metal to form the front and side walls, and prefer to cover this with cloth, which furnishes a very neatappearance. The metallic part, being of one piece, is easily bent into proper shape, and may be secured to a wooden back by providing the back with a raised portion and securing the edges of the metal against the sides of this raised part, as indicated in Fig. 11. Walnut and other ornamental woods may be employed, and the holders may be permanently attached to dressing-cases and other articles of furniture, or made to be hung against the wall, after the manner of brackets, and like other articles of the same general class.

For hanging the holder it may be provided with the screw-eyes in, as indicated in Fig. 1. or with a flat perforated strip, as at a, Fig. 5, or the material of the back may be perforated, as at 0, Fig. 5, and this perforation may be protected by use of a thin metallic plate. The opening 0 will admit the head of a projecting screw or nail and permit the holder to hang close against the wall.

Suitable pockets (one or more) for the reception of a comb may be advantageously combined with the holder, and these may be located on the side walls or in the back, at pleasure. The preferable manner of constructing the comb-pocket is to furrow or channel out a portion of the material of the back, as at 1), Figs. 11 and 12, and to cover this on the interior of the holder by any suitable thin material, as at p. This is a cheap and simple method ofconstruction, and it leaves the holder entirely unimpaired for the purposes of holding the brush in the manner above explained. The cutting may be readily accomplished by the saw or other tool while the back is being formed. The covering-plate p is located over the opening, and the back made ready for the reception of the metallic portion of the holder.

When constructed and arranged in accordance with the foregoing explanations the improved holders are found to answer all the purposes and objects of the invention, as previously stated. The side walls being vertical, instead of being inclined toward each other, render the device more sightly in appearance and easier to be made toharmonize with other trimmings upon furniture, orin oraboutaroom.

For the design substantially as indicated in the drawings 1 propose to make application for separate Letters Patent.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a brush-holder of the character herein set forth, the interiorly-projecting elastic supporters located and arranged, substantially as explained, so as to bear against the bristles of the brush and prevent wear upon the edges of the brush-back when the brush is inserted or removed,said springs being combined with the holder, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a brush-holder open at top and bottom for the insertion and removal of the brush, the combination, with the brush-receptacle, of interior projections located at or near the lower mouth of the receptacle and in the path of the brush, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In a brush-holder, the combination, with the brush-supporting springs located and arranged, substantially as shown, so as to bear against the bristles of the brush, of the series of cleaners located in the path of the brush and operating substantially as and for the purposes explained.

4. In a brush-holder open at top and bottom and provided with spring-supports for the brush, the cleaners located at or near the lower mouth of the brush-receptacle, for the objects named.

5. The herein-described improved brushholder, composed of the back, side walls, and face, the spring-supports for the brush arranged to bear against the bristles thereof, and the cleaners located at ornear thelower mouth of the brush-receptacle, all substantially as shown and described, and for the purposes set' have hereunto set myhand in the presence of 0 two witnesses.

WM. H. MILES, JR.

Witnesses: WORTH OSGOOD, F. W. HANAFORD. 

